The Brooklyn New School, PS 146, was recognized with the Green Flag by the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program on March 25 for conserving natural resources and integrating environmental education into the curriculum.
“We at National Wildlife Federation and Eco-Schools USA are proud of the example set by the students and teachers at PS 146,” said Emily Fano, New York City outreach manager for the Eco-Schools USA program. “The Green Flag award places PS 146 among an elite group of schools across the country that are improving their schools by reducing energy costs and waste, greening school grounds, and nurturing student-scientists through hands-on learning.”
To win the Green Flag, PS 146 students tackled a host of sustainability initiatives that included forming an Eco-Action team, increasing green space and biodiversity on school grounds, saving energy, and implementing award-winning waste reduction measures. The school recycles and composts 75 percent of its cafeteria food waste, turns hard-to-recycle items into art projects, and is an official city Compost Project demonstration site.
This year, PS 146’s school’s garden, which includes a “pollinator palace” and bug hotel, met the criteria for certification with the Federation’s Schoolyard Habitats® program. The program recognizes schools that have created havens for wildlife, providing essential elements like food, water and cover.
“I applaud the students and faculty at PS 146 for their exemplary efforts in promoting environmental and social sustainability,” said local Councilman Brad Lander. “The school’s composting and recycling program is another great example of how innovative ideas are helping our district move toward a greener tomorrow. The students and faculty’s resourcefulness can serve as a tremendous model for other schools in our district and across the country,” he said.
Led by science teacher Barbara Taragan and Sustainability Coordinator Johanna Esteras, PS 146 students learn about an impressive array of globally important issues across the grades and curricula:
First graders raise crops in the school garden, use the compost they produce from their cafeteria scraps on their raised beds, and harvest and serve their produce. During the course of this work, the students explore green spaces in and around the school community — including parks, community gardens, and other urban farms.
“They learn what green space means to the health and well-being of humans, and the positive (as well as negative) impact humans can have on green spaces,” says Taragan.
Second graders learn about the importance of water as they engineer ways to collect water, including: designing a water filtering system, creating rainwater catchment systems, and building pipe systems to meet a variety of challenges. This spring, they will create pipe systems to irrigate the school’s gardens.
Fifth graders study weather and climate change and the benefits of alternative energy sources. They demonstrate what they learn at the school’s yearly sustainability “science fair” — Ecorama. The school has a blog by the same name that highlights students’ green activities and accomplishments.
In keeping with their commitment to nurturing socially responsible citizens, PS 146 students and staff have also gone out into their community to plant and care for trees, participate in ecological restoration and cleanups at nearby Plumb Beach, and raised and released native pollinators like monarch butterflies.
“Since we have instituted a strong focus on teaching an eco-based curriculum, our students have shown increasingly sophisticated answers to questions dealing with the negative and positive impact humans can have on the environment,” said PS 146 principal Anna Allanbrook. “They write about storm water run-off, flooding, ground water pollution, and the balance of nature. We’re nurturing a generation of environmentally literate citizens and are proud of the outstanding work our staff and students have done to achieve the Eco-Schools Green Flag award,” said Allanbrook.
PS 146 is the fourth school in New York City, and only the 24th in the country, to achieve “Green Flag” status.
Teachers, student Green Team members, Lander, and the National Wildlife Federation celebrated these accomplishments with an award ceremony at the school. The event included a tour of the Green Studio — a room devoted to sustainable projects and activities, the cafeteria recycling stations, the outdoor composting center and garden, and the Eco-Casita — an outdoor classroom in a converted shipping container, outfitted with a green roof. The city’s Department of Education Sustainability Initiative presented PS 146 with a $5,000 grant as a reward for their achievements and to expand their sustainability programs.
